The Origin
The Mod Cog started in 2006 in a rented garage in Portland, Oregon. We were restoring beat-up vintage pieces from estate sales — stripping decades of paint, re-oiling neglected walnut, replacing worn-out webbing on lounge chairs. Customers kept asking where they could buy new pieces with the same quality and proportion. Nothing on the market came close.
So we started making them. Our first original design was a simple walnut side table with splayed legs and a floating shelf. It sold out in a week through word of mouth alone. That told us everything we needed to know about the gap in the market.
How We Work
Today we partner with eight independent workshops across the United States, Denmark and Japan. Each specialises in a specific material or technique: one does exclusively hand-turned wood, another works only with brass, a third upholsters using traditional coil springs rather than cheaper foam-and-webbing shortcuts.
We design in-house, prototype extensively, and do not release a piece until it has lived in one of our homes for at least three months. If a drawer sticks in August humidity, we fix it before it ever reaches a customer. If a finish shows wear in the wrong places, we reformulate.
Our Standards
Every piece we sell meets three non-negotiable criteria:
Solid materials. No particle board, no hollow cores, no veneer over mystery substrates. If we say walnut, it is walnut all the way through.
Honest construction. Mortise-and-tenon joinery, dove-tailed drawers, properly braced frames. The methods that have kept mid-century originals standing for seventy years.
Fair pricing. We sell direct. No gallery markups, no dealer commissions. You pay for materials, labour and a reasonable margin. Nothing more.
Visit Us
Our showroom in Portland is open Thursday through Sunday. Come sit in everything, open every drawer, and see the quality up close. No appointment needed, no sales pressure. We would rather you go home and think about it than buy something you are not certain about.
Cannot visit in person? Email us at [email protected] and we will send detailed photos, material samples and measurements for any piece you are considering.